My Blessed Days with Holy Mother

By Ishanananda Swami

Swami Ishanananda had the blessed privilege of serving Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi since his boyhood. He was initiated by Mother at a very young age and later received brahmacharya diksha from her. He served Mother from 1909 until the end of her divine play in 1920. The present book published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, is a translation of the Bengali original, Matrisannidhye. in which he describes many events from this period (1909 - 1920) of Mother’s life in vivid detail.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Advaita Ashrama (Ramakrishna Math)
• Release date: Dec 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9788175059122

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Personalities

Holy Mother at Jayrambati

HOLY MOTHER

AN INTRODUCTION

Sri Ramakrishna’s life and spiritual practices were the spectacular events in the spiritual firmament of the nineteenth century—a time when the soul of India was lying by the way side, bruised and battered as it were, afflicted by foreign domination, inter-religious conflicts and the vainglory of pleasure-seeking atheism.

He, by virtue of whose advent the ideals of renunciation and service got established spontaneously, theistic philosophies got a new lease of life, religious hatred came to be regarded as ravings of lunatic minds and finally, the tyranny of foreign domination came to be part of a bygone era, is the latest manifestation of the soul of India—highly revered and adored as

Sri Ramakrishna.

And the partner in his divine play who accomplished and fulfilled his life’s mission, while keeping herself away from public gaze, is Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, the Sakti of Sri Ramakrishna.

Sarada Devi was born, more than a century ago, in a poor family in the village of Jayrambati, located in the eastern part of Bankura district. In spite of their straitened financial condition, her father Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay and mother Shyamasundari Devi had religious piety in abundance and everyone loved and respected them as embodiments of compassion.

On a Thursday evening, 8th Poush of the Bengali year 1260 (22 December 1853 AD), when a child was born in their humble cottage, who would have imagined then that one day that child’s birthplace would be adorned with a beautiful temple and emerge as a place of pilgrimage for the whole world?

Even as early as when she was five, Saradamani met Gadadhar—the Lord of her life. Son of a pious Brahmin Kshudiram Chattopadhyay of the nearby Kamarpukur village, Gadadhar was the priest of the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. His method of worshiping the deity was amazing. He would cry piteously before the Divine Mother saying—Mother, reveal Thyself… reveal Thyself to me!... He would feed and dress Her and also make demands with childlike innocence. Aggrieved at not obtaining Her vision, Gadadhar would tell Her sobbingly, Mother, you revealed yourself to Ramprasad, why not to me? At last, when the aspirant was about to sacrifice himself, the Mother of the universe blessed him with Her vision. From then on he became ecstatic, always absorbed in Her name like a bee intoxicated by honey. News spread that the priest had become mad uttering Maa!... Maa!... (Mother! Mother!). His mother Chandradevi brought him back to Kamarpukur and tried to arrange his marriage. Gadadhar himself gave a clue as to where to find an ‘ideal one’ who turned out to be Saradamani, daughter of Mukherjees from Jayrambati.

That is how this sacred union happened. Sarada Devi was five and a half years old and Gadadhar was twenty-three.

After she grew up to a mature age, she went to Dakshineswar to live with her husband and learned from him that God realization is the sole aim of human life; that He is everyone’s very own as uncle moon is everybody’s uncle. Along with guidance on various spiritual practices and meditation techniques, Sri Ramakrishna taught her manners and customs and how to conduct herself in every situation. The company of such a divine soul engulfed Sarada Devi’s heart and mind and she embarked on a journey within; towards the inner sanctum sanctorum, the abode of peace.

Sri Ramakrishna did intense sadhana (spiritual practices) and austerities at Dakshineswar. Following, by turns, the paths of Tantra, Vedanta, Islam and Christianity he realised: If there is steadfastness and yearning, all these paths can lead to the One Ultimate Reality. At the peak of his Advaita Sadhana, he used to remain absorbed in the non-dual realm without the least care for food or sleep. His body would not have survived but for a monk who arrived there by divine providence and forced a few morsels of food down his throat every now and then. Ordinary people thought he was mentally deranged.

The news of his ‘madness’ reached Jayrambati. Sarada, unable to bear it, longed to be at Dakshineswar to serve her husband. But, how was she to go? Those days many villagers used to go to Kolkata for bathing in the holy Ganga. Sarada expressed her desire to accompany them for a bath in the Ganga. Realizing her mental state, her father decided to take her to Dakshineswar himself. The arduous journey by foot took a toll on her health and by the time Sarada reached Dakshineswar she had high fever. Sri Ramakrishna nursed her with great care and made arrangements for her stay in his own room. Upon recovery Sarada shifted to Nahabat(1) where Chandradevi was staying, and devoted herself to the service of her husband and mother-in-law.

One day, during this period, Sri Ramakrishna asked Sarada, Have you come to drag me back to the world? Sarada, like an ideal partner, replied, I have come only to assist you in your life’s mission.

After a few days, on the occasion of Phalaharini Kali puja which is performed on a new moon night in the month of Jaishtha (May-June), Sri Ramakrishna worshipped the Divine Mother in the form of Sarada and offered at her feet, the fruits of all the sadhana he underwent up until then. This also marked the end of his sadhana period.

Following this unique event, Sarada herself became absorbed in austere spiritual practices transforming herself into the Holy Mother (Sri Sri Maa), with her celestial splendour and human sweetness, the divine energy behind

Sri Ramakrishna’s divine play. Soon after this unique Sakti worship, heralding spiritual awakening in this age, we hear Sri Ramakrishna’s ardent call to seekers of God—Oh where are you all, come! come unto me! That fervent call pierced the hearts of those earnest seekers in Kolkata thirsting for spirituality. One by one they came—the likes of Keshab Chandra Sen, Vijaykrishna Goswami, Ramchandra etc. Through Brahmo Samaj, the gospel spread among the learned and the students alike. Narendra, Rakhal, Sasi, Sarat, Baburam and other companions of the divine play, following the footsteps of the Master, lighted the spiritual fire in their own lives. When the Ramakrishna Order came into being, Holy Mother, as the Sangha Janani, silently nurtured it while keeping herself veiled away from public.

After Sri Ramakrishna left his mortal body, Holy Mother was about to remove her ornaments as per the local custom when Sri Ramakrishna appeared before her and dissuaded her saying, I have simply moved from one room to another.

After going on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan, Haridwar, Gaya, Puri and other holy places, Holy Mother performed intense spiritual practices and austerities staying at times in Belur village or Kamarpukur. After attaining Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the pinnacle of spiritual realizations, her mind no longer wished to remain bound to this mundane world. However, when she thought of leaving her physical body, Sri Ramakrishna appeared before her and said, Do not leave your body just yet. What have I accomplished so far? A lot remains to be done and you’ll have to finish those. Pointing to the people in the world, afflicted by sorrow and suffering having left the path of righteousness and self-restraint and forgotten God, Sri Ramakrishna told Sarada Devi,You shall take care of them, teach them how to call upon God, grant them peace, grant them strength, and grant them pure devotion.

In the meantime, Narendranath had trans-formed himself into Swami Vivekananda. Prior to his journey to the west following the command of

Sri Ramakrishna for spreading religion there, he had written to Holy Mother seeking her permission and blessings. Holy Mother foresaw her blessed son, Narendra, setting the wheel of Yuga Dharma in motion as an instrument in the hands of Sri Ramakrishna. She wholeheartedly gave permission and infused spiritual power into him.

Thus, she continued to fulfil Sri Ramakrishna’s divine play, both within and without. Enshrining God in the hearts of many men and women and flooding their hearts, by virtue of her innate guilelessness and strength of character, with peace and blossoming the flower of devotion, Holy Mother spent her time between Jayrambati and Kolkata.

While in Kolkata, initially she had to stay in rented or devotees’ houses. Later, in accordance with Swami Vivekananda’s wish, a permanent abode was built in Kolkata for the ‘Living Mother Durga’, by Swami Saradananda. This Kolkata residence is what is popularly known amongst the devotees as Mother’s House or ‘Udbodhan’. Holy Mother lived in this house whenever she was in Kolkata, and people from all over India and abroad without any distinctions of caste or creed came to visit her and felt blessed experiencing Mother’s divine love and affection. In this way, fulfilling Sri Ramakrishna’s mission of welfare of all beings, in the month of Shravan 1327 (July-August, 1920), Holy Mother, ‘The Universal Mother’, merged herself into the lotus feet of Sri Ramakrishna. She left behind, in the hearts of innumerable devotees, the living memory of her sacred life, overflowing with the life giving nectar of motherly love. Drinking this nectar of immortality, let the morbid humanity learn to live afresh.

Swami Niramayananda

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FOOTNOTES

[1] Concert tower.

MY BLESSED DAYS WITH THE HOLY MOTHER

Abandoning the flowers of worldly enjoyment,

Always drink, O honeybee of my mind, the nectar of eternal peace,

At the lotus of Mother’s feet—panacea for disease of worldliness,

I salute Thee, O Supreme Being, the Universal Mother!(2)

MY MEETING WITH SWAMI SARADANANDA AND THE HOLY MOTHER’S JOURNEY TO KOLKATA

Early one evening in the month of Baisakh in 1316 (April, 1909 AD), a few days before I saw Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, I had the privilege of meeting her chief attendant, revered Swami Saradanandaji Maharaj (Sarat Maharaj) at Koalpara. He had come to Jayrambati to escort Holy Mother to her new house in Kolkata constructed under his supervision at 12/13 Gopal Chandra Niyogi Lane (now known as 1, Udbodhan Lane), Baghbazar. He was also to mediate, as desired by Holy Mother, in settling a property dispute between her brothers.

Kshetranath Babu, one of my distant relatives and a vaishnava(3) had arranged navaratri nama sankirtan(4) at his personal shrine in Koalpara. Kedar Babu (later Swami Keshavananda, the founder of Koalpara Ashrama), my grandfather and a few other distinguished devotees had invited Sarat Maharaj to grace the occasion.

Earlier that evening, Sarat Maharaj visited our house with my father. I was then eleven years old and studying in school. I saw him as a neat and clean monk with a stocky physique and reserved disposition. I learned from my father that he had been to England and America to preach Hinduism. He was then the General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission and also the chief attendant of Holy Mother. I also heard that he would be taking Holy Mother to Kolkata within a month or so, and on the way they may rest a while at Koalpara.

My mother offered Sarat Maharaj a little mudki(5) with chickpeas and a glass of water. After gracing the aforesaid Navaratri celebrations for three days and having discussions with avid devotees on spiritual topics, Sarat Maharaj returned to Jayrambati.

A few of the spiritual-minded youths and old devotees of Koalpara eagerly awaited Holy Mother’s arrival. One day early in the month of Jaishtha in the year 1316 (May, 1909 AD)

I heard from my father that Holy Mother, accompanied by Swami Saradananda, Yogin-ma, Golap-ma and others, would be reaching Koalpara around four o’clock in the evening on their way to Kolkata. Suitable arrangements were made for the party to rest—Holy Mother would take rest in the worship room at the house of Sri Kedarnath Dutta Mahashay, our school teacher, and others would rest in our school building right next to the main road. As the party was to reach by late afternoon, the devotees had made arrangements for some light refreshments—some sweets and coconut sandesh(6). However, there was no sign of their arrival even after dusk. On receiving the news that their bullock-carts got stuck in mud near the riverside en route Sihor, Rajen-da along with a group of men carrying lanterns set off in that direction. The party finally arrived at about eight o’clock at night. As planned, the Holy Mother’s cart was directed to Kedar Babu’s residence and other carts towards the school building. After a while, the devotees unhitched the bullocks from Holy Mother’s cart and started pulling the cart. I also joined them! Mother’s two young nieces (Radhu and Maku) were also there in her cart. Holy Mother stepped down from the cart wrapped in a shawl with her face completely veiled. Walking with a slight limp (Mother suffered from mild rheumatism) she proceeded along with Kedar Babu’s mother towards their little shrine room. Holy Mother prostrated before the deity and then sat down. All the devotees including my parents and myself bowed down to her offering our pranams. Kedar Babu’s mother was hard of hearing and one had to speak really loud. As I was present in the room, Holy Mother responded to questions from male devotees through me.

Sensing that it was getting quite late at night, Sarat Maharaj sent a message through Brahmachari Jnanananda to hasten the devotees. Brahmachariji came and stood by the door and reminded us, expressing slight displeasure, that it was getting late for the onward journey. Hearing that, Mother hurriedly partook of a little of the sweet from the plate, drank some water, and stood up to leave. When she stepped down into the courtyard, all of us quickly offered our pranams. I offered in her hand, as pranami(7), two rupees that my father gave. Mother caressed my chin and said affectionately, My child, whatever is being offered must be placed at the feet. After blessing me by placing her hand on my head she slowly got into the bullock-cart. We walked alongside the cart to the school building and offered our prostrations to Sarat Maharaj, Golap-ma and Yogin-ma. I noticed that they were feeling a little uneasy as it was getting late. Never the less, they set off in four bullock-carts after blessing all of us and charming one and all with their courteous manners. This was our first meeting with them. All of us partook a little of Holy Mother’s prasad (consecrated food) and returned home late at night.

In those few moments in the Mother’s presence and listening to her affectionate words, I realized, even at that tender age, that the love and affection of my own parents (even though I was their only child) was quite insignificant compared to hers. My mind longed for the next opportunity to meet her. I felt that in the whole world only she was rightfully my very own.

The next day morning we came to know that at around ten o’clock the previous night, the party had to stop by a Shiva temple (Shantinath Mahadev) in Kotulpur for dinner. Sharat Maharaj made arrangements in the temple courtyard by calling some local confectioners to fry luchis(8). As a result, their onward journey to Vishnupur was very much delayed.

On hearing this, Kedar Babu and my father were very much embarrassed. They spoke regretfully, What could we have done? We arranged for some simple sweets expecting them to arrive at four in the evening, but when they did not arrive on time, we became so worried that we did not think about arranging a square meal for them. This news also made it clear to all of us why they were so much reluctant and restless over their stoppage at Koalpara. Referring to the incident later on revered Golap-ma used to tease us in private saying, "What intelligence! Imagine serving dry coconut-sweets (sandesh) so late at night!"

HOLY MOTHER’S RETURN TO JAYRAMBATI

Later in the month of Kartik (November), a couple of days before Jagaddhatri puja, Holy Mother arrived one morning with Radhu and others at Koalpara on her way from Kolkata to Jayrambati by a bullock-cart. Uncle Kali, Mother’s second brother, had already arrived with a palanquin to take them to Jayrambati.

After finishing her bath, Holy Mother worshipped the Master (Sri Ramakrishna) and then left for Jayrambati after having light refreshments. Arrangements had been made for her rest in our school building at Koalpara. There were a few looms and a shrine room in the school building. The short pathway from the main road up to the shrine room was covered with a carpet woven in our own looms and lotus petals were strewn all over it. The Holy Mother stepped down from the cart and walked along the decorated pathway.

*****

One morning towards the end of Poush (January) in the same year, my father along with Kedar Babu visited Holy Mother at Jayrambati after an early bath in the Ganga. He was carrying some homemade ghee (clarified butter), fine rice, home-grown vegetables and a dhoti with narrow red border. He stayed there the whole day and returned home around dusk. Talking about the Holy Mother and her devoted children, he was so overwhelmed with joy that he could just exclaim, Oh! What shall I say about Mother? She is verily a Goddess! What affection, what love, what courtesy, and what unassuming nature! And what to speak of her devotee sons! Such sweet words and charming conduct—heavenly gods as it were! I have never seen such modesty and gentleness in human beings. They were endowed with so much faith! They were deeply respectful and hospitable even towards a person like me! Those who are with the Holy Mother, all of them are verily gods!

From then on, whenever anyone stopped by Koalpara Ashrama on their way to Jayrambati, my father would at once visit the Ashrama to have their company and send, through them, home-grown vegetables for the Holy Mother and her devotees. My father never mentioned to us whether he had received initiation or any form of spiritual instructions from Holy Mother. However, there was a picture of Sri Ramakrishna in the room, and everyday morning after a bath he sat before it in meditation before having breakfast.

HOLY MOTHER RETURNS TO KOLKATA,PILGRIMAGE TO SOUTH INDIA

Holy Mother stayed for almost a year at Jayrambati. On her way back to Kolkata by bullock-cart, the party stopped by Koalpara. Shortly after, around dusk, they started for Vishnupur taking Kedar Babu’s mother along. A few days later I heard that Holy Mother would soon leave for south India on a pilgrimage.

BACK IN NATIVE VILLAGE, RADHU’S MARRIAGE

Early in the month of Jaishtha in 1318 (May, 1911 AD), Holy Mother stopped by Koalpara, on her way back to Jayrambati for Radharani’s [Radhu] marriage. She was returning after visiting Kothar, Madras, Rameswaram and other centres of pilgrimage in South India.

The day before Holy Mother’s arrival we fenced the bathing ghat at Barunjye pond (next to the Ashrama) with palm leaves, for Mother’s bath. The road leading to the Ashrama was cleaned. The new shrine room and Mother’s room were decorated, and the verandah was screened with cloth curtains. The pathway inside the Ashrama was carpeted with fabric hand-woven in our own looms and strewn with lotus flowers. When Mother stepped down from the bullock-cart and started walking, I walked behind her collecting in a basket, every one of those lotuses Mother had walked over. This time the Mother was in a bit of a hurry. After bathing in Barunjye pond and worshipping the Master, Mother took her meals and rested for a short while.